August 6, 2009

There is also a Cuban-native, Francisco Aguiar, from Tampa, Florida that has written in several times to tell me I am a bad manager, that I should retire and that I have mistreated Jose Contreras, who he considers the best pitcher on our staff. He also asks if I something against Cubans. My advice to him is to play the Florida Lottery; if he wins to buy a team and he can run it the way he wants. In terms of how I treat my Cuban players, you’d have to ask Contreras and Alexei Ramirez what they think of that.

It was a matter of time: Smoak hit .133/.243/.233 through his first 60 Triple-A at-bats, but in his 49 at-bats since then he’s hit .327/.414/.490. At our Newberg Report event at Rangers Ballpark on Sunday, guest speaker Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus departed from the routine Mark Teixeira comp, suggesting Smoak could be a “switch-hitting Justin Morneau.”

Shortstop Alexei Ramirez will return to the lineup on Friday against Cleveland and southpaw starter Jeremy Sowers. Ramirez conceivably could end up hitting ninth against right-handed pitchers, with Guillen not wanting to put the left-handed hitting Chris Getz and Scott Podsednik back-to-back in the lineup.

As far as closer Bobby Jenks, his kidney stone has been “blasted’’ and is expected to now pass through, but Guillen wasn’t holding out hope for him to return this weekend, even though doctors said Friday. ”Hopefully he’s coming back the way the doctor says he is,’’ Guillen said. “I doubt he’s going to be ready by the end of this weekend.’’

Manager Ozzie Guillen isn’t planning on Bartolo Colon returning to help the White Sox for the rest of the season. Furthermore, Guillen didn’t know the whereabouts of Colon, who hasn’t pitched since hurting his right elbow against Detroit on July 24.

Walker believes Thome has another two or three years left of 30-home run, 100-RBI production, as long as his back allows him to get on the field. Thome believes the same, and it’s that thought process setting Thome apart from other talented players, in Walker’s estimation. “Physically, he’s still an absolute monster. Just a genetically gifted guy,” Walker said. “But the biggest thing that makes him special is his ability to believe in himself and his mental strength. He has strengths and weaknesses, and there are going to be times when he strikes out. But he doesn’t give into it or panic. He stays the course. He’s a very unique Hall of Fame player.”

The White Sox (specifically, Jerry Reinsdorf, Ken Williams and Rick Hahn) don’t get enough credit for wisely managing their payroll. Even with Jake Peavy, they have only about $61 million commited in salary next season. The big issues — once Dye and Thome are resolved — will be what to do with expensive closer Bobby Jenks and whether to count on Scott Podsednik to play center field and hit leadoff. …

While UZR/150 is the stat du jour for many when it comes to defensive stats, there are plenty of statistics available that offer us some insight on defensive performance. For this reason, I thought it would be a great exercise to look at as many defensive metrics — from the unpopular fielding % and RF/9 to the very popular fielding value and UZR/150 — and rank them by position for each league. The next step was to add those rankings up and come up with a cumulative ranking at each position. Over the next week or so, I will look at each position around the Majors and present how the players ranked out at each position and which metrics were used (and where I pulled the data from).

Jake Peavy will be back in Chicago this weekend, set to throw his third side session off a mound, following Wednesday’s successful effort in San Diego. If all goes well, the right-hander acquired by the White Sox from the Padres just seconds before last Friday’s non-waiver Trade Deadline could begin a Minor League rehab stint on Aug. 13. White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper didn’t have a destination for Peavy, though both Triple-A Charlotte and Rookie-league Bristol will be home on that Thursday. … According to Cooper, Wednesday’s side session “went very well,” and Peavy “turned up the intensity more.” … Cooper said Peavy would need at least three rehab starts, which would leave him ready to open the three-game set at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 28 if the plan works out at three.